Gender diversity in the workplace is not only a cultural goal to strive towards; it is a vital piece to creating and sustaining a successful business. Statistics show that hiring and sustaining a diverse workforce improves a company's revenue and profits.[1] To manage gender diversity in your workforce, set gender targets, develop an adequate hiring strategy, and create an inclusive work culture.

Steps

Part 1

Setting Gender Targets

1

Establish a team. When you start the process, find a team of individuals within your workforce to set these targets.[2] The team should consist of a diverse group of individuals from all departments. Include executives, human resources employees, administrative personnel, and others. The group should consist of men and women from all walks of life.

The more diverse the team, the more viewpoints and opinions you will receive.

2

Define your target group. Identify a group, or groups, for which you will be setting the targets. The target groups need to be clearly defined and identified. Be aware and work through different units of your company.

For example, a target of 50% females might be achievable in an executive unit of your corporation, but may be less achievable in a manufacturing unit. Recognize these challenges and confront them.

Try having each department (or group) set their own goals. Each target group will then have a goal associated with it.[3]

3

Conduct your analysis. Analyze every aspect of your business with the aim of identifying actions, activities, or changes that need to be made in order to be successful. Focus on departments and processes responsible for hiring and retaining talent.

Ask yourself what your company does well in working towards gender equality. Finding these positive areas will help you to build on them and recreate them where needed. For example, if your hiring department screens applicants with a great eye towards gender equality, pass that successful trait down to your talent retention or promotions team.

Also look at what is holding you back. Identify barriers and consider ways to overcome them.[4]

4

Set goals. When you are ready, set gender targets. Use your analysis to set gender goals for any are of your business where you feel it is necessary. These targets should be clearly identified, monitored, and evaluated.

5

Establish a time-frame. It is not enough to set goals. You also need to establish a time-frame for success. Take a long-term perspective in order to make sure your targets are realistic and achievable. You need to allow time for your changes to be implemented.

Clarify who is accountable for success. When you make someone (or a group of people) responsible for the success or failure of your gender equality targets, the targets are more likely to be met. Make the person you choose responsible for measuring, monitoring, and reporting on the targets.

For example, have the responsible parties create quarterly reports. Also, make sure your responsible parties get together on a regular basis to discuss what is working and what is not.[6]

7

Analyze your workplace. Once you have created targets, analyze your workplace over time. Whether you are an established company or just starting your business, create and analyze the following checklist. It will help you determine if you have (or can create) the management commitment and resources and systems required to support the achievement of your targets. The checklist will include:

Leadership commitment: all levels of management (including the CEO and other executives) need to be committed to gender equality at all levels.

Strategic intent: gender equality should be accepted as a business imperative (much like workplace safety is). Also, your gender equality strategy should be integrated with your overall business strategy.

Accountability: your organization has a clear understanding of who is responsible for the success of your gender equality program.

Measurement and reporting: your company needs tools to monitor and evaluate progress and impacts. Also, you need to make a public disclosure in your annual reports pertaining to your progress.

Organizational culture and systems: your company needs to have reviewed and amended policies and processes to encourage gender equality. Some areas to look into include recruitment and selection, performance management, pay, training and development, and talent identification.[7]

Part 2

Developing a Hiring Strategy

1

Create a job description. With the hope of bringing more diversity to your workforce, develop an overall hiring strategy that is blind to gender. Start by creating a job description that is gender neutral. Do this by referring to the possible candidate as "he or she", "you", or do not use pronouns at all. In addition, specify the need for skills to work effectively in a diverse environment. For example, your job posting could include a requirement that the candidate "have a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a diverse work environment."[8]

2

Recruit a diverse applicant pool.[9] When you recruit applicants, distribute your job posting internally, externally, and with your constituents.[10] This ensures that qualified individuals within your organization have the opportunity to apply for advancement; that your supporters will have a chance to apply; and that the public at large will see the posting.

When you choose where to place your posting, consider factors that may affect who will see it. For example, if you place your job posting in an issue of Men's Health magazine, the likelihood is low that you will get a lot of female applicants (the opposite of this is also true).

3

Eliminate identifying marks on applications. Think outside the box when considering ways to eliminate gender as a hiring factor. For example, break up your hiring team into two sections. Have the first section look through all of the application materials and remove any marks that could identify an applicant's gender (e.g., names).[11] Then, have your second team look over the applications and pick out the best candidates.

4

Use a panel to interview candidates. When it comes time to interview prospective employees, use a panel of interviewers. Make sure your panel includes people from different units, job classifications, lengths of service, and life experiences. This will help eliminate bias from the selection process.

Have your interviewers discuss the interview process and the questions that will be asked prior to conducting any interviews. This will ensure the team has an opportunity to raise any concerns they may have.[12]

5

Identify your own biases. Be honest with yourself throughout the hiring process. Recognize that everyone has biases, whether intentional or not. What stereotypes do you have about how different genders perform different jobs? What you may consider to be appropriate or desirable traits may actually reflect more about your personal preferences than about the skills needed to perform the job.[13]

Part 3

Creating An Inclusive Culture

1

Foster open and trusting relationships. Your workplace should engage employees and allow for open and honest discussions. If a female or male is worried about speaking up in their workplace, there is less of a chance your workforce will diversify over time. If you create open, trusting, and supportive relationships between employees and management, you will allow everyone to speak their minds. In turn you will enable employees to turn their differences into innovative ideas and processes.[14]

You can do this by adhering to an open door policy and by encouraging everyone to speak openly and freely. Hold monthly meetings where employees are given an opportunity to speak up and address concerns. Make it a stress free environment and even consider having these discussions over lunch or outside of the office.

2

Evaluate your workplace policies. Certain policies are often seen as female driven. These types of policies include maternity leave, childcare, and flexible working. Do not make these policies solely about women. Instead, open up these policies to everyone in the office. Go over your existing policies and check for gender biases. If a program is skewed towards one gender, change it.

Policies that single out one gender can actually put more pressure on that gender, which should not happen. For example, flexible working policies often target women and actually apply social pressure to divide their life between work and family. These types of policies suggest to men that they do not need to worry about childcare or flexible working hours. In reality, men need these policies as well.[15]

3

Monitor your metrics. Measure things like the average income of men and women; the percentage of men and women in certain positions; and the percentage of promotions given to men and women. Using these metrics you can evaluate the success of your policies and whether you need to change.[16]

4

Manage your supply chain. Do not only require diversity in your own ranks. Look at other companies you deal with regularly and ask them to require diversity as well. Consider setting standards that require any company you work with to strive for gender diversity. You may even want to urge your partners to adopt gender policies.[17]